Safety cigarette holder



March 16, 1965 J. w. GREGORY SAFETY CIGARETTE HOLDER Filed June 18, 1963 INVENTOR James W. Gregory ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,173,425 SAFETY CIGARETTE HOLDER James W. Gregory, 922 Hollywood Ave., Dallas, Tex. Filed June 18, 1963, Ser. No. 288,717 2 Claims. or. 131-474 This invention is concerned with a cigarette holder and is particularly concerned with a cigarette holder wherein the lighted end thereof is enclosed within a perforated container having a screen liner therein which presents the escape of fire and ashes from the container.

The cigarette holder is particularly advantageous for use by bedridden sick or injured patients or for persons who smoke in bed, and for use by smokers at places where it would be dangerous for exposed fire to be present.

It is particularly useful for use by bedridden patients or persons who smoke in bed, because all embers from the lighted cigarette and ashes are confined within the container, thus preventing ashes from soiling the bed clothing and burning embers are prevented from contacting the bed clothing to ignite same.

It could be used by persons who work in factories or other places where flammable material or gases might be present, and would prevent embers from escaping the container to cause fire or explosion.

It would be particularly useful for persons who smoke in their automobile while driving, in that embers and ashes are prevented from falling upon their clothing to burn or soil same, and its use would prevent the tendency of drivers to throw lighted cigarettes out of cars along the highways, which is a major cause of grass, brush and forest fires.

It is, therefore, a primary object to provide a safety cigarette holder wherein ashes and embers from a lighted cigarette are retained within a container, yet has a perforated wall which allows air for ignition to be freely drawn therethrough.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a safety cigarette holder which is compact, easy to handle and disassemble for placing a cigarette therein, or for cleaning ashes and cigarette particles therefrom.

Other and further objects of the invention will become apparent upon reading the detailed specification hereinafter following, and by referring tothe drawings annexed hereto.

A suitable embodiment of the invention is shown in the attached drawing, wherein:

FIGURE I is a side perspective view of the safety cigarette holder;

FIGURE II is a cross-sectional, elevational view taken on the line II-II of FIGURE I;

FIGURE III is a transverse, cross-sectional view taken on the line III-III of FIGURE II;

FIGURE IV is a transverse, sectional view taken on the line IVIV of FIGURE II; and

FIGURE V is a transverse, sectional view taken along the line VV of FIGURE II.

Numeral references are employed to designate the various parts shown in the drawings, and like numerals indicate like parts throughout the various figures of the drawings.

The numeral 1 indicates a tubular casing which, as shown, is in cylindrical form. The casing 1 has a plurality of perforations or holes 2 provided through the wall thereof.

A cap 3 is provided for removable engagement with one end of the casing 1. The cap 3 is attached to the end of the casing 1 by means of threads 4 so that the cap 3 may be removed for emptying ashes and remains of cigarettes from the casing 1.

3,173,425 Patented Mar. 16, 1965 A removable head 5 is provided on the other end of the casing 1. The removable head 5 is provided with a flange 6 which is arranged to slide over and frictionally engage the end of the casing 1, said flange being divided into spring prongs by longitudinal slits 7 cut therein. The spring prongs formed by the slits 7 are slightly smaller in interior diameter than the outer diameter of the casing 1, and have rounded ends 6a thereon, so that they may be guided over the outer end of the housing 1 and sprung slightly outwardly as they are slid into engagement with the outer surface of the wall of the casing 1, to thereby be slidably and frictionally engaged therewith.

The head 5 has a thumb engaging handle 8 extending outwardly therefrom, and has a central circular passage 9 therethrough, through which a cigarette 20 may be inserted, as shown in FIGURE II.

The casing 1 has an annular ring 10 positioned thereabout, which may be secured thereto by means of a spot weld indicated at 11.

The ring 10 has finger engaging handles 12 and 13 secured thereto, and extending outwardly therefrom.

The spring prongs 6 are of such length as to engage the ring 10, to limit the distance which the cap 5 can be mounted on the end of the casing 1, so that the interior of the head 5 will abut the liner 19.

A cigarette engaging member 14 includes spring-like sides 15 formed by oppositely disposed slits 15a, and the spring prongs 15 are tubular in cross section, as shown in FIGURE IV, and the bore formed thereby is positioned to coincide with the passage 9 through the head 5. The prongs 15 preferably have perforations 16 through the wall thereof, and are slightly sprung inwardly so that when a cigarette 20 is passed therethrough, same will be sprung outwardly and frictionally grip the cigarette to hold same in position.

The cigarette engaging member 14 has an annular flange on the inner end thereof, which is secured to the inner wall of the head 5 about the passage 9, by means of suitable rivets 18.

A cylindrical shaped screen 19 of relatively fine mesh is disposed within the casing 1 and is of such size as to slidably and frictionally engage the inner wall of the casing 1 when placed therein. Preferably rings 19a and 1% are secured to each end of screen cylinder 19 to provide support.

The operation and function of the safety cigarette holder device is as follows:

The head 5 is slipped off the casing 1 by grasping the handle 8 and pulling outwardly thereupon as the casing is held with the other hand. A cigarette is inserted through the passage 9 and the inner end thereof is pushed through the bore of the retainer member 14 as the prongs 15 thereof are sprung outwardly to frictionally and grippingly engage same. The outer lip-engaging end 21 of the cigarette is left exposed sutficiently so that it can be placed in the mouth of the smoker.

After the cigarette is lighted, it is inserted within the casing 1 and the screen liner 19, and the fiange prongs 6 are slipped over the inner end of the casing 1 to frictionally engage same.

The cigarette holder device may then be held in the hand by passing the index and second finger about the handles 12 and 13 and the thumb about the handle 8. When the cigarette is lit, the smoker draws on the outer end 21, drawing air through the holes 2 and screen 19. Alternately, the user may insert an unlit cigarette into the casing, remove the cap 3 and light the inner end of the cigarette through the uncapped open end of the holder, after which the cap can be replaced and the cigarette smoked as indicated above.

Ashes and embers from the burning end of the cigarette are entirely confined within the perforated housing, and any ashes or embers falling from the burning end of the cigarette are prevented from escaping from the housing by the screen 19 and the cap 3.

A cigarette may be allowed to burn out and the tipped end 21 thereof may be pushed inwardly into the receptacle by an instrument such as a pencil, or the head 5 may be taken off and the cigarette removed and extinguished. If the patient or other person smoking in bed happens to fall asleep while the cigarette is lighted, there would be no danger of catching the bed clothing on fire because the fire would be confined within the casing.

The cigarette holder could be used by the driver of an automobile, and could be laid down in the seat while it is still lighted and not involve the danger of burning the seat cover. Moreover, burning embers and ashes could not escape from the casing to fall upon the clothes of the wearer and burn holes therein or soil same, as is often the case.

The cigarette holder would be safe for use in factories, mines, or other places where flammable material might be present, in that no burning embers would escape therefrom.

It will be understood that other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. In a device of the class described, a tubular casing having perforations through the wall thereof; removable closure means on one end of the casing; a removable head having a central passage therethrough on the other end of the casing and having an inner side; a flange about the head; said flange having longitudinal slits therein providing a plurality of spring prongs; said prongs being slightly less in interior diameter than the outside diameter of the end of the casing so as to grippingly engage same when slipped thereover; a tubular engaging member attached to the inner side of the head surrounding the passage; and including a wall having longitudinal slits therein providing spring prongs to grippingly engage a cigarette or like member extending therethrough; a thumb engaging handle secured to the head; a pair of finger engaging handles on opposite sides of the casing; a removable tubular screen liner disposed in the casing adjacent the perforations in the wall of the casing; a rigid ring secured at each end of the tubular screen liner; the screen liner being of such length as to engage the inner side of the head when the head is disposed over the end of the casing, and the inner side of the head abuts the end of the casing on which the head is disposed.

2. In a device of the class described, a tubular casing having perforations through the wall thereof; removable closure means on one end of the casing; a removable head having acentral passage therethrough on the other end of the casing; 21 flange on the head; said flange having longitudinal slits therein providing a plurality of spring prongs; said prongs being slightly less in interior diameter than the outside diameter of the casing so as to grippingly engage same when slipped thereover; a tubular member on the inner side of the head surrounding the central passage; and including a wall having longitudinal slits therein providing spring prongs to grippingly engage a cigarette or like member extended therethrough; a thumb engaging handle on the cap; a stationary ring secured about the housing; a pair of finger engaging handles on the ring on opposite sides of the casing; a tubular screen liner removably positioned in the housing; a rigid ring secured in each end of the tubular screen liner; the ring about the housing being spaced from the end of the housing and the first named spring prongs being of such length as to contact the ring and limit the distance which the prongs will overlap the end of the housing so that the interior of the head will abut the end of the screen liner.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 356,615 1/87 Burr 131174 954,060 4/10 Taliaferro et al 131174 1,013,236 1/12 Taliaferro et al 131174 1,118,216 11/14 Nelson 131-175 1,398,559 11/21 Lampessis 131-175 1,866,641 7/32 Gauthier et al. 131-175 2,454,631 11/48 Chneerson et a1. 131-175 2,572,415 10/51 Williams 131175 ABRAHAM G. STONE, Primary Examiner. JOSEPH S. RE ICH, Exqn zine r 

2. IN A DEVICE OF THE CLASS DESCRIBED, A TUBULAR CASING HAVING PERFORATIONS THROUGH THE WALL THEREOF; REMOVABLE CLOSURE MEANS ON ONE END OF THE CASING; A REMOVABLE HEAD HAVING A CENTRAL PASSAGE THERETHROUGH ON THE OTHER END OF THE CASING; A FLANE ON THE HEAD; SAID FLANGE HAVING LONGITUDINAL SLITS THEREIN PROVIDING A PLURALITY OF SPRING PRONGS; SAID PRONGS BEING SLIGHTLY LESS IN INTERIOR DIAMETER THAN THE OUTSIDE DIAMETER OF THE CASING SO AS TO GRIPPINGLY ENGAGE SAME WHEN SLIPPED THEREOVER; A TUBULAR MEMBER ON THE INNER SIDE OF THE HEAD SURROUNDING THE CENTRAL PASSAGE; AND INCLUDING A WALL HAVING LONGITUDINAL SLITS THEREIN PROVIDING SPRING PRONGS TO GRIPPINGLY ENGAGE A CIGARETTE OR LIKE MEMBER EXTENDED THERETHROUGH; A THUMB ENGAGING THANDLE ON THE CAP; A STATIONARY RING SECURED ABOUT THE HOUSING; A PAIR OF FINGER ENGAGING HANDLES ON THE RING ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE CASING; A TUBULAR SCREEN LINER REMOVABLY POSITIONED IN THE HOUSING; A RIGID RING SECURED IN EACH END OF THE TUBULAR SCREEN LINE; THE RING ABOUT THE HOUSING BEING SPACED FROM THE END OF THE HOUSING AND THE FIRST NAMED SPRING PRONGS BEING OF SUCH LENGTH AS TO CONTACT THE RING AND LIMIT THE DISTANCE WHICH THE PRONGS WILL OVERLAP THE END OF THE HOUSING SO THAT THE INTERIOR OF THE HEAD WILL ABUT THE END OF THE SCREEN LINER. 